


Travels in time

by KerryAnne



Series: Travels in time [1]
Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003)
Genre: "Adventure", "Alternate Universe", "Battle of Blood River", "Dutch", "Romance", "South Africa", "Violence", "Zulus", "angst", "bloodshed", "conquest", "fighting", "guns", "history", "spears", "time travel", "tribes", "war", F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-06
Updated: 2015-12-17
Packaged: 2018-05-05 07:37:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5366786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KerryAnne/pseuds/KerryAnne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dreamovision machine is based on the 1987 series episode called Nightmare in the Lair. Season 6 episode 9, I think. Each turtle dons it and ends up somewhere different. In my version, in part one, they end up in South Africa in December 1838, in the middle of the Battle between the Zulus and the Voortrekkers (the forefounders).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. South Africa

Leo is sixteen  
Raph is 15  
Don is 14  
Mikey is 13

It was a cold, January day in New York. Fifteen-year-old Raphael sighed irritably and cracked his knuckles. "I'm so damn bored," he complained for the fiftieth time that day.  
"Me too, Raph," his mate, sixteen-year-old Leo said. "It's your turn by the way."  
"Ain't no fun playing Monopoly by ourselves, Leo. Where the heck are Mikey and Don? They said they'd be back with dinner hours ago. "I'm hungry."  
"Me too. Your go."  
"I'm sick of this game."  
"Maybe because you're losing."  
"Not for long," Raphael snapped, throwing the dice. "Screw that," he said, landing on Leo's property. "Ain't fair."  
"That'll be sixty thousand," Leo said, smirking. "Come on. Pay up."  
Raphael forked over the last of his money, and scowled."Ya win, Leo."  
"As always. Why don't we watch TV? I think the Attack of the Killer Clams is on."  
"Nah. Saw that yesterday."  
"I got a fun game we can play," Leo said lustily, moving to his side and running his fingers down Raphael's plastron. "You smell amazing, Raph."  
"Shove off, Leo," Raphael said, pushing him away. "I ain't in the mood."  
"Really? Because you lost one game?"  
"You don't love me anymore? Last night you were all over me."  
"I love ya, Leo. Look it ain't ya. I'm bored of sittin' in this damn lair. Ain't nothin' happened in weeks. The villains are all quiet, it's been rainin' forever. I feel cooped up."  
"You aren't expecting, are you?" Leo asked anxiously. "You've been temperamental."  
Raphael laughed. "I've always been temperamental, Leo. I ain't pregnant. I'd tell ya if I was. I'm just bored." Raphael grabbed Leo's hand. "Fearless, me and ya are a team. Nothin' will change that."  
"Okay."

"Hey guys," a soaking wet Mikey said, entering the lair, flanked by Don. "I brought dinner. Marshmallow, octopus and chili pepper pizza."  
"All right!" Raphael said. "I'm so damn hungry. Let's tuck in."

"Can you wipe your feet," Leo asked crossly. "I spent ages cleaning the floor."  
"I'll do that later," Mikey said, taking off his raincoat, tossing it on a couch and handing out the pizza boxes. Dinner's served."

The family sat down to eat. "Any news on the street?" Raphael asked. "Any burglaries, somethin', any action?"  
"Me and Mikey stopped a mugging. That was it," Don said.  
"So why were you guys so damn long? Ya were gone four hours!"  
"Um, we kind of got distracted," Don said, blushing hard. "We found a place to be alone and..."  
"Okay, okay," Raphael said, throwing his hands up. "No more. Please. Ya will scar me."  
"Not like you and Leo aren't frisky."  
"Um, so I was thinkin'," Raphael said, hastily changing the subject. "Ya guys want ta go ta the movies later?"

"It's cold and wet, Raph," Mikey said. "I want the boob tube."

"Ya, Leo?" Raphael asked.  
"Nope. I was hoping to watch that show about caring for Bonsai."  
"Yawn. That was on last week."  
"It's a new episode, Raph. Watch with me."  
"Pass. I'd rather watch a test pattern."

"I'd like to watch the documentary on Confucius," Mikey said.  
His mate looked at him, stunned. "That's very deep, Mikey," Don said. "Didn't think you liked that kind of thing."

"A kiddie's wadin' pool is ta deep for him," Raphael said, chuckling. Mikey threw a pillow at him.

After dinner, Leo, Mikey and Don settled down to watch TV, while Raphael went to his and Leo's bedroom. Flipping though his latest comic, he was soon bored. Gotta be somethin' better ta do, he thought. I know Don has that new machine in his lab. I'm gonna try it.

Leo happened to glance up from the TV and saw Raphael walking to the lab. He followed him, entered the lab and said, "Raph, what are you doing here?"  
"Ya know that Dreamovision machine? I want ta try it. Come on, Leo. It beats sittin' around doin' nothin'."  
"I don't know."  
"Look, what bad can happen, Leo? We press a button and come home. Ya chicken?"  
"I like adventure just as much as you, Raph, but what if it has a few bugs and we don't come home?"  
"Chicken!" Raphael taunted.  
"I'm not. Okay, I'll try, but I'm going first."

Leo donned the Dreamovision and landed up in a world where he was sitting on a massive throne and Raphael was feeding him grapes. Don and Mikey were fanning him. "All hail, the mighty Leonardus," Mikey said. "Whoa. What the heck. How did I end up here?"

"You idiot, Leo," Don snapped. "Mikey and I were watching TV. Now we're in your damn dream. I haven't finished getting rid of the bugs."  
Leo laughed. "I could get used to this."

"I bet ya could," Raphael said. "But I'm yer mate. Not yer servant. Change that, Leo." Leo dreamed again and Raphael sat on another throne by Leo's side. "Much better. Now I could like this. Fan faster, Don. I'm hot."

"No!" Don yelled, ripping the machine off Leo's head and putting it on. "I'm going to try it. Hey, maybe there are no bugs after all." A few minutes later, Don smiled, seeing his brothers in the audience at the Nobel Peace Awards. "And I'd like to call Hamato Donatello," the announcer said. "For his contribution to science." His brothers clapped as Don went onto the stage and received his prize. But before he could make his announcement, Mikey snatched the Dreamovision machine off his head. "Hey, no fair," Don said. "I was enjoying that."

"My turn," Mikey said. A couple minutes later, they found themselves on a beach with Mikey being declared the world surfing champion and winning a year's supply of pizza.  
"Trust ya ta think of food," Raphael said. "My turn." He grabbed the machine off of Mikey, shut his eyes and imagined he and Leo were on a secluded island far away from everyone, but to his consternation, he saw people fighting, gunshots being fired and spears being thrown. Multiple people died before his very eyes. "Holy shit," he said, pressing the button on the machine. "Send us home. Now." But it didn't work.

"Nice work," Don yelled, ducking behind a rock. "You brought us up in the middle of a war, Raph. Press the button."  
"I did, but it doesn't work," Raphael said, joining him and crouching down. "Ya know where we are."

"Looking at their outfits," Leo said, jumping down beside Raph. "I'd say we're in the nineteenth century. Where, I have no idea."  
Mikey shouted from high up in a tree. "You guys okay?"

"Fine," Raphael said. "Ya know where we are?"  
Mikey jumped down and joined his brothers. "Some war. Nice going, Raph! Look at that river. It's stained red with their blood. I've never seen such violence before."

"Hmm red river," Don said, snapping his fingers. "I know where we are. We're in South Africa and this is the Battle of Blood River, so called because of so many lives lost, which turned the river red. We've travelled back in time to December 1838.  
"Wonderful," Raphael said angrily. "So what do we do?" He pressed the button on the machine again, but still didn't work. Ripping it off in frustration, he tossed it on the ground.  
"Until that damn machine works," Don said, picking it up. "We're stuck here. By the way the war was between the Dutch forefathers and the Zulus."

"Who won, Don?" Leo asked.  
"The Dutch. After this battle, it was commemorated as having occurred at Blood River and today, the 16 December, is a public holiday in South Africa. Before 1994, it was known as the "Day of the Vow," "the Day of the Covenant" and "Dingaan's Day"; but today it is "the Day of Reconciliation". Again, fantastic getting us stuck here, Raph. You better hope no one sees us. If they do, we're dead!"

"I'm sorry, Don," Raphael said. "I had no idea this would happen. How was I supposed ta know that machine had bugs."  
"Next time, leave my machines alone until I say they're safe to use."

"Wie is julle?" a furious voice demanded from behind them.  
"Oh, oh," Don said, slowly turning around. "I think we have company."  
"Watter soort dinge is julle?" the tall and bearded man said, pointing his gun at them, a scowl marring his handsome features.  
"Turn around slowly, guys."

The other three turtles turned around and the man continued to study them. "Wat is julle?" he shouted.  
"What's he speakin', Don?" Raphael asked.

"Dutch, I think," Don said. He held up his hands in a show of surrender. "My brothers and I mean no harm."

"Johan, wat doen jy?" another man said, joining his friend and frowning when he saw the turtles." He pointed his gun at them, too.  
"Piet, daardie dinge lyk soos skilpad. Ek dink ek sien dinge."  
"Nee, ek sien dit ook. Jy is nie mal nie. Die dinge sal met ons kom. Miskien hulle werk vir die Engelse."

Raphael stepped forward. "We mean no harm, man." Piet took that as a threat and yelled for his men to join them. Half a dozen men appeared, with knives and guns. "Oh, boy," Leo said. "Nice going, Raph. They took you as a threat."

The men stepped forward, pointing their guns. Some had rope. "Julle kom met ons!" Piet shouted.  
Raphael tried to make a break for it, but the men immediately surrounded him and he quickly surrendered. The men promptly tied the turtles up and led them back to their camp. "Now where are we?" Raphael asked, spotting a campfire and several wagons.

"At their base, I guess," Leo said.  
"That smells yummy," Mikey said, looking at a woman stirring a large three legged pot on the fire. "I'm starving."

"Can't ya stop thinkin' bout food?" Raphael groused.

Leo, Mikey and Don were shoved into a wagon and locked inside, but Piet and Johan took Raphael with them. "Hey, leave him alone," Leo growled. "He's my mate. Leave him."  
Piet and Johan ignored him and dragged Raphael off towards the campfire.

"What are they doing, Don?" Leo asked fearfully, spying a large three legged pot on the fire.  
"Um, either they're giving food to Raph or they're going to eat him!"  
"No!" Leo screamed, banging on the small window. "No, leave him alone." Leo watched helplessly as his mate was lowered into a pot of water on the fire. Don and Mikey looked away, unable to watch. Raphael's eyes widened in shock as his body hit the water. What a way ta go, he thought miserably. Boiled alive. I wish I'd never tried Don's machine. He squeezed his eyes shut and prayed that his death would be a swift one.


	2. Raphael's rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raphael's rescued and he and his brothers become part of the Dutch group.

Cornelia Jansen was hanging up washing outside her wagon, when she saw her husband, Johan, and his friend, Piet, lower a green creature into the cooking pot over the fire. What is that, she wondered to herself? Going to the campfire, she studied the creature. Its eyes were shut and her heart went out to it. It suddenly opened its golden eyes and whispered, “Help me.” Cornelia’s mother had been English, so she understood English well. “I will,” she said. Her husband, his friend, and the other men had gone off. Probably to find food. Cornelia yelled in her mother tongue to her friends to come and help her. They did and they lifted Raphael out just before the water started to bubble, dropping him onto the ground.

Raphael sighed in relief and crossed his arms over their plastrons, studying them. “Thank ya,” he said.  
"Wat is die dinge?” one of her friends asked. 

"I don’t know Illse,” Cornelia said. “Maybe a tortoise? Whatever it is, it’s scared.”  
“Will it bite us?” Illse asked.  
“Doubt it. What are you?”

Raphael looked at her, his jaw dropping. “Ya speak English?”  
Cornelia nodded and said, “My mother was English. Now, what are you and where do you come from?”  
“I want my brothers first and then I’ll talk. They’re in that wagon over there,” Raphael said, pointing to where his brothers were locked up. Cornelia agreed and she, Raphael and her friends went to the wagon.

Unlocking the door, Cornelia said, “Here are your brothers?”  
“Yeah,” Raphael said, going inside and flinging himself into Leo’s arms.

“Oh, Raph,” Leo said, sobbing and smothering him with kisses. “You’re all right.”  
Raphael pulled apart and hooked a thumb at Cornelia. “She and her friends saved me.”

“Group hug,” Mikey said, pulling the four brothers close. Then they disengaged.

Leo looked at Cornelia and said, “I don’t know if you understand me, but thank for you saving him.”  
“You’re welcome,” Cornelia said. “Now can you please tell me what you are and where you come from?”

“You speak English?” Don said in surprise.  
“Yes,” Cornelia said. “My mother was English and my name is Cornelia Jansen. These are my friends, Illse and Laura. Laura also had English relatives. Now please can you answer my questions?”

“We are turtles,” Leo said. “My name is Leonardo. Those are my brothers, Raph, Don, and Mikey. And we come from the United States. In the future. It’s very difficult to explain, but we ended up here and got captured. Then men took Raph, who is also my mate, and tried to boil him for dinner. Raph’s not biologically my brother. We were raised as such.”  
“Yes, that was my husband and his friend,” Cornelia said. “I apologise for his actions. You do not look like bad people and I felt bad seeing your mate in the pot, but do you work for the English? I have to ask.”

“No,” Raphael said. “Like my mate said, we ended up here. We never wanted ta come here. Believe me. I miss home. I want ta go home. We have no interest in war or fighting.”  
“Yes,” Don said. “We are peace-loving people. All we want is to go home, but until our machine works again, we are trapped here.”

“I see,” Cornelia said. “I sense I can trust you, but you will have to wait here while I talk to my husband. He is the leader of our group. If he agrees with me that you are no threat, you will be welcome here as our guests. If he doesn’t agree, I’m afraid my husband will slaughter you. He is not a very easy man to convince, but I will do my best. Also if he does agree, you will have to fight. All the men fight.”

“What about the women, Cornelia?" Raphael asked.  
“The men are in charge. We cook, clean, have babies and make sure our husbands are happy. We are happy with that life. It is what we know. But it doesn’t mean our husbands are not good men. They are and they love us very much. Excuse me. I hear my husband. I’ll be back now.” Cornelia locked the wagon door and went off with her friends.

“Now what?” Raphael said, taking Leo’s hand in his. “What do we do, Fearless?”  
“Sit and wait,” Leo said. “And hope for the best.”  
“I wish I’d never messed around with Don’s machine!”

“You and us all, dude,” Mikey said. “This place sucks and I’m so hungry!”  
“I can feed ya a knuckle sandwich if ya like,” Raphael snapped.  
“Buzz off, dude. I haven’t eaten in hours.”

“None of us have, Mikey,” Don said. “Be patient.”  
“But my tummy’s rumbling and that food by the campfire smells so good.”  
“Let’s all meditate. It’ll take our mind off food as well as calm us.”

Sitting down, they linked hands and began to meditate. 

A couple of hours later, Cornelia returned with her husband, Johan, and said, “My husband has listened to my story and he has agreed that you are probably not a threat. You are to have supper with us by the campfire and you are now part of our group.”  
Johan nudged his wife and said in his mother tongue, “You will fight the Zulus with us tomorrow.”  
“My husband said that you will fight the Zulus tomorrow with the other men. It is now time for dinner. Please come with us.”

“I don’t like this,” Leo said, as the brothers followed the Dutch to the campfire. “I don’t want to fight.”  
“If we refuse, they might kill us, Leo. I don’t want ta be food for them,” Raphael said. “We have ta listen ta them.”

“I don’t like it either,” Don said. “But as Raph said, we have no choice.”  
“Food!” Mikey squealed, seeing the women dish up from a large pot onto plates.

Raphael elbowed him hard. “Dork. All ya care ‘bout is food!”  
“Ouch, Raphie. That hurt. But I do think better on a full stomach.”

The brothers joined the Dutch and sat down. Steaming plates of food were passed to them and they hungrily tucked in, uttering their thanks. “This is delicious. What is It?" Mikey asked. "Tripe,” Cornelia said. “Tripe stew and bread. We call it pot brood, which means bread cooked on a stick and cooked over on the fire."  
"What is that?”

Raphael gagged and pulled a face, realizing what it was. “I can’t, Leo,” he said.  
“You don’t, you will insult them. Eat up, Raph.”  
Raphael groaned and ate his food, but when he was offered seconds, he smiled and said, “No, thanks. Full.”

“So what is tripe?” Mikey asked.  
“I’ll tell you later,” Don said. 

After dinner, they spoke for a long time to Johan and his friends, talking about where they’d come from. When Johan and Piet had retired to bed, Cornelia brought the brothers coffee. It was very sweet and milky and none of them liked it much, but they drank it to be polite.

Then Cornelia showed them to their wagon and brought blankets and pillows. “Good night,” she said. “I will be here in the morning early with coffee. Sleep well.”  
“What time?” Leo asked.  
“About three. I hope you can help us defeat the Zulus. They murder and slaughter us and our families and we are tired of it.”  
“We will do our best. Thank you for everything.”

As the brothers huddled together on the floor, Mikey said, “So what is tripe?”  
“Ya really want ta know?” Raphael asked, smirking. “It’s….”

“Chicken,” Don supplied. “A kind of chicken.” Don hoped Mikey bought the lie.  
“Then why was Raph disgusted?”  
“He’s sick of chicken. We ate it a lot before we got here.”  
“Oh. I liked it a lot, dude. I had thirds.”

“I noticed,” Raphael said, and chuckled. “Mikey, ya can have my seconds tomorrow, okay?”  
“You’re the best, Raph!  
“I know.”

Leo whispered into Raph’s ear slit. “You’re so bad, Raph!”  
“Yeah, but ya love me.”  
“I always will. I thought I’d lost you.”  
“Nah. Not so lucky,” Raphael said, licking and biting Leo’s neck, causing him to churr. “Yer stuck with me, Fearless. Forever.”  
“You’ll always be mine, Raph. I love you.”  
“Love ya, too,” Raphael said. They kissed each other, linked hands and snuggled up close. Leo fell asleep first and as Raphael watched him sleep, he shuddered. I nearly died today. I want ta go home. Please let us go home, so me and Leo can be safe and sound and so can our baby. Raphael rubbed his belly protectively. He wasn’t showing yet, but he knew he would soon and he hoped it wouldn't be in the middle of a war!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is bloodshed.
> 
> NOTES: Wat is die dinge=What is the thing?”

**Author's Note:**

> Heh. I studied this at school and thought it would be fun to write
> 
> "Wie is jy= Who are you?"  
> "Wat is julle= What are you?"  
> "Wat doen jy= What are you doing?"  
> "Daardie dinge lyk soos skilpad. Ek dink ek sien dinge."= Those things look like tortoises. I think I'm seeing things."  
> "Nee, ek sien dit ook. Jy is nie mal nie. Die dinge sal met ons kom. Miskien hulle werk vir die Engelse." =No, I see them too. You are not crazy. The things will come with us. Maybe they work for the English."  
> "Julle kom met ons= You come with us."


End file.
